A ceramic layer is added for stiffness and smoothness then multiple layers of tri-directional fiberglass and ceramic are hand-laid in the mold. Starting with its molds, layers of gelcoat are applied by extremely skilled craftsmen, allowing Centurion to offer five-color, in-mold gelcoat graphics sprayed to a uniform 22 mils standard on its boats. Centurion creates its hull from the outside in. It is a 100-percent composite design whose strength comes from hand-laid woven roving fiberglass mat and other materials shaped into three individual pieces, the hull, structural liner and deck, which are pressed together using Plexus adhesive to create a unibody boat. construction system is the heart of the modern Centurions. Centurion’s basic philosophy is that the same finely tuned qualities that make Centurion an excellent competition boat will also make it an excellent family boat. Now Centurion avidly participates in the activities of USA Water Ski to stay in touch with the competitive side of the sport. This led the way for Centurion’s I.C.S., the Integrated Composite System, which integrated all deck components into the mold. Centurion went on to create multiple new ski boat innovations through the 1990s, creating the first articulating front fin in 1990 and a high-tech construction process called the Unified Composite System that completely eliminated the use of wood stringers and floorboards. The Falcon incorporated Centurion’s ‘S’ spray rails, developed on the Tru Trac II the year prior. Open and the AWSA Nationals in its first year on the market. The predecessor to the modern-day Centurion first debuted in 1988 with the release of the Falcon, the first towboat to tow both the U.S. In 1984, Centurion’s Tru Trac model became an official AWSA three-event towboat, and Centurion started to shift its focus from racing boats to ski boats. Ski Centurion created the first AWSA Barefoot Nationals outboard towboat and in 1983 it still built raceboats such as its XH-1drag hydro, which was the first enclosed cockpit model and dominated the sport for years. This boat brought the high-performance styling of the California speed boats to the water ski market. He built the first Ski Centurion, and it was the first significant direct-drive ski boat produced on the West Coast. In 1979, he built a 2.5-acre factory in Merced, California, and turned the company’s high-performance, high-tech boat- building skills toward making ski boats. I got interested in them because I discovered that PCM had sold 1,500 motors in ’78 or ’79.’ Lee investigated how they could be selling so many engines and consequently discovered the significance of the tournament boat market. They were ugly, so no one wanted to know what they were. ‘Back then, nobody knew what an inboard was west of Tennessee. He grew the company building high-performance ski boats. He began building high-performance jet boats, day cruisers and race boats and in 1976 he acquired the trade name Centurion from a Salt Lake City company with a heritage dating back to 1964. He started selling boats and after a couple of years went out on a limb and opened a boat company. Naturally, he found his way into the boat business. teacher, but someone told him he should follow what he loved to do. He went on to set a world record, win a national championship and put himself through college racing speed boats. He and his father built his first, an eight-footer with a 10-hp outboard, in 1959, when he was 9 years old. CENTURION MANUFACTURER PROFILE HISTORY Rick Lee has been building boats about as long as he can remember.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |